Paul George suffers serious leg injury in Team USA exhibition

Indiana Pacers All-Star Paul George suffered a gruesome right leg injury late in the U.S. national team’s intrasquad scrimmage Friday night.

George leaped to contest a fast-break layup by James Harden with 9:33 left in the fourth quarter and his leg smashed against the bottom of the backboard stanchion and crumpled.

Trainers immediately ran onto the floor and after roughly 10 minutes of stoppage, George was taken out of the arena on a stretcher. With players looking visibly upset, coach Mike Krzyzewski then announced to the crowd that the scrimmage would not be finished out of respect to George and his family.

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo described the injury as a “very tough blow.”

“This is a first for us in USA Basketball, to have something like this take place,” Colangelo said. “It’s a tough situation for our entire organization, the coaches, the players. Very, very emotional. There’s no way the game could have gone on under the circumstances.”

The White team led George’s Blue team 81-71.

“We got all the players together, Jerry addressed them and then I did. Very emotional setting,” Krzyzewski said. “There’s a brotherhood in the NBA and to me at moments like this family or brotherhood shows its heart, it shows its depth, and that’s what I thought our players showed during that time.”